Biocompatible and biodegradable nanofiber mats are finding increasing appeal in biomedical and bio-technological applications. They are attractive as vehicles for drug delivery—both immediate and controlled or sustained release. Several processes are available for synthesis of nanofiber mats such as drawing, phase separation and electrospinning. The latter is a method that is most amenable to mass production.
Most of the published electrospun absorbable fibrous products are fabricated from commercially available and well-established absorbable polymers from the synthetic aliphatic polyester family, such as polylactide (PLA), polyglycolide (PGA), polycaprolactone (PCL) and their co-polymers due to their commercial availability, degradability, biocompatibility, fiber-formation ability and mechanical property.
Polymer nanofibers are currently used in the treatment of wounds or burns of human skin, as well as are designed for haemostatic devices with unique characteristics which can let wounds heal by encouraging the formation of normal skin growth and eliminate the formation of scar tissue which otherwise occur in a traditional treatment. Non-woven nanofibrous membrane mats for wound dressing usually have pore sizes ranging from 500 nm to 1 um, small enough to protect the wound from bacterial penetration via aerosol particle capturing mechanisms and possess high surface area of 5-100 m2/g which makes it extremely efficient for fluid absorption and dermal delivery.
Delivery of drug/pharmaceuticals to patients in the most physiologically acceptable manner has always been an important concern in medicine. In general, the smaller the dimensions of the drug and the coating material required to encapsulate the drug, the better the drug to be absorbed by human being. Drug delivery with polymer nanofibers is based on the principle that dissolution rate of a particulate drug increases with increasing surface area of both the drug and the corresponding carrier if needed. Kenawy et al. in Journal of Controlled Release 2002; 81:57-64 investigated delivery of tetracycline hydrochloride based on the fibrous delivery matrices of poly (ethylene-co-vinylacetate), poly (lactic acid), and their blend. In another work, bioabsorbable nanofiber membranes of poly (lactic acid) targeted for the prevention of surgery induced adhesions, were also used for loading an antibiotic drug, Mefoxin. As the drug and carrier materials can be mixed together for electro-spinning of nanofibers, the blend of drug and carrier materials integrated into one kind of fibers containing both components, and the carrier material is electrospun into a tubular form in which the drug particles are encapsulated.
Canadian Patent Publication No.: CA2161196, titled, “Polymeric Composition”, discloses a polymeric composition for use in medicine which includes a hydrophobic bioabsorbable polymer admixed with a hydrophilic liquid polymer wherein the polymeric composition undergoes macroscopic phase separation on contact with aqueous media. The polymeric composition optionally includes a medicinal agent.
EP Publication No.: 2588659, titled, “Filament comprising an ingestible active agent non-woven web and method for making same”, relates to a filament comprising a filament-forming material and an additive that is releasable and/or release from the filament for example when the filament is exposed to condition of intended use. The filaments may be hydrophilic or hydrophobic and is may be surface treated and/or internally treated to change the inherent hydrophilic or hydrophobic properties of the filament.
US Patent Publication No.: US20060024357, titled, “Wound healing polymer compositions and method for use thereof” describes wound healing compositions that can be fashioned into wound dressings, implants and surgical device coatings, which wound healing compositions comprise (a) a biodegradable, biocompatible polymer, a hydrogel, or both, as a carrier into which is dispersed, mixed, dissolved, homogenized, or covalently bound (“dispersed”) (b) at least one wound healing agent. Optionally, additional bioactive agents can be dispersed within the polymer, hydrogel, or both.
Further, there is paper publication disclosed in International Conference on Advances in Polymeric Materials & Nanotechnology, Proceedings of Poly Tech—2012, titled ‘Egg albumin based non-woven nanofiber scaffolds for tissue engineering’ by Komal Pandey, Shubhang Agrawal et al. disclose composites of PCL/PLA/EA nanofiber scaffolds for tissue engineering.
Chinese Publication No.: CN102824641, titled “Two-phase drug-release multilayer drug-loaded nanofiber mat and preparation method thereof”, relates to a two-phase drug-release multilayer drug-loaded nanofiber mat which consists of a water-soluble polymer, a water-insoluble polymer and a drug. The water-soluble polymer is polyvinyl pyrrolidone K30; water-insoluble polymer is ethyl cellulose and drug is ketoprofen.
Essential fatty acids have been used to reduce inflammation and promote wound healing in burn victims. Animal research indicates that omega-3 fatty acid helps to promote a healthy balance of proteins in the body which is important for recovery after sustaining a burn.
EA (Egg albumin) is a functional Globular Protein having beneficial properties for Polymer solution preparation. EA contributes to many parameters of electrospining as it increases the viscosity and conductivity (viscosity is inversely proportional to surface tension) of polymer solution. Pure EA protein is unable to produce nanofibers; even though the protein has sufficient polymer concentration, viscosity, conductivity and surface tension, since it lacked enough viscoelastic properties (GVN Rathna et al Polymer Journal (2011) 43, 654-661.
Hydroxybutyric acid-co-valeric acid (PHBV) is natural biodegradable polymers. PHBV possesses good biocompatibility and degrades in vivo into d-3-hydroxybutyric acid which is a normal constituent of human blood.
Since there remains a need in the art to provide biodegradable and biocompatible nanofibers composition for wound healing with better patient compliance, the present invention provides a novel biodegradable nanofiber composition using oil based biodegradable polymers by blending with hydrophobic and hydrophilic material for wound healing treatment and other biomedical applications.
Main object of the present invention is to provide bioactive oil based polyesteramide nanofibers.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a nanofiber composition comprising biodegradable and biocompatible hydrophobic polymer, hydrophilic polymer and polyesteramide of oil, useful for wound healing and biomedical applications.